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A guide to buying locally made Montreal souvenirs!

A person who is shopping
© Susan Moss - Tourisme Montréal

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Are you a sucker for little knick-knacks that seem like perfect items to remember your adventures by? Do you shell out impulsively for souvenirs that serve no purpose and end up at the bottom of a drawer. If so, there are ways to break this habit!

Personally, I’ve noticed that if I buy practical souvenirs created by local artists or cooked up by local artisans who I discovered during my adventures, I tend to appreciate them more and longer and remain genuinely proud of them.

So let’s go for a little tour of cool Montreal neighbourhoods with shops that offer well-made, truly creative souvenirs. When you buy from these places, you give a little boost to the local economy and the planet no harm!


 

Stationery and souvenir shops

Some people just love browsing the wide variety of handy stationery store items! Bringing back memories in the form of 100% locally made posters, postcards, fridge magnets or notebooks is not only a practical choice of useful souvenirs, but also a great way to support Montreal artists and designers.

Here are a few stationery stores that I recommend:

©bref

Bref, ART + DESIGN: you’ll find everything from calendars to cool stickers to hip postcards of iconic Montreal items like smoked meat sandwiches and bagels as endearing characters – MILE END – 261 rue Bernard Ouest

Paperole: at this colourful place, you’ll find super-original birthday cards, home-made wrapping paper, stickers of Montréal, iconic Montreal tourist posters and even a giant map you can colour – PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL – 3915 rue Saint-Denis

Artpop Montréal: from retro-looking posters to a magnet of a metro passing through a giant bagel, you’ll find Montreal posters and artwork featuring the ubiquitous orange traffic cones – PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL – 129, avenue du Mont-Royal Est

Arloca: for more classic souvenirs of Montreal, like cups, postcards, re-usable bags, plus a ton of one-of-a-kid ideas – PETITE-PATRIE – 6572, rue Saint-Hubert

Produits de la boutique bref
©bref.mtl
Une carte de Montréal de chez Paperole
©paperole
Produits de chez art pop montréal
©Artpop Montréal

Food and treats to bring home from your travels

Quebec is well known for its flavour creators and great chefs! So it should be no surprise that there’s a multitude of delicacies, ingredients and food items to bring home from your trip to Montreal.

Here are a few ideas of tasty products tyou can find in little fair-trade, organic or local-artisan shops, notably in the Mile-End and Old Montreal branches of Le Petit Dep – Café et épicerie fine:

©lepetitdep
Produit de chez Avanaa
©Avanaa
Produit de chez Allo Simonne
©allosimonne
Produit de chez Miel d'Anicet
©Miel d’Anicet

Quebec literature and music

Quebecers are not only creative when it comes time to eat. Our literary and musical culture also abound. Why not pick up a book for the return trip or a record to spin over and over in the comfort of your home?

You can discover local talents at these locations:

Devanture librairie l'échange
©librairie l’échange

Le Port de tête: a bookstore that sells new and used books – PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL – 222 and 269, avenue Mont-Royal Est

Librairie Bertrand: an independent bilingual bookstore where you can dig up literary treasures – VIEUX-MONTRÉAL – 430, rue Saint-Pierre

Librairie L’Échange: a place to exchange the books you’ve finished and give some new ones a second life – PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL – 713, avenue Mont-Royal Est

Aux 33 tours: the city’s biggest vinyl album boutique – PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL – 1373, avenue Mont-Royal Est

If you need inspiration, consider the novels of celebrated author Kim Thuy (Ru, Vi, Em, À toi) and Kukum by Michel Jean, or the graphic novels La petite Russie by Francis Desharnais, Adieu triste amour by Mirion Malle, Rose à l’île by Michel Rabagliati or Leonard Cohen: Sur un fil by Philippe Girard.

These lists from Babelio also suggests a ton of other essential Quebec writers!

livres
©le port de tête
Livres
©Librairie l’échange
Livres
©Librairie Bertrand

Local cosmetics

Thinking back on your trip to Montreal every time you do your beauty routine is also a super idea. Go for made-in-Quebec cosmetic and body care products from BKIND or Les mauvaises herbes fair-trade products for natural inspiration!

Produits bkind
©bkind
Produits des mauvaises herbes
©Les mauvaises herbes

Gifts that live on and on

Shopping is one of the favourite activities of travellers, so you can do double the good, ecologically and economically, by digging up treasures in Montreal thrift stores. Plus, your souvenirs are guaranteed to be absolutely unique! A few recommendations:

Renaissance Québec: This chain has several locations around the city to find donated second-hand items

La Caravane Vintage: hand-picked retro clothing – PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL – 4116, boul. Saint-Laurent

Produits de chez Caravane vintage
©Caravane vintage
Produit de chez Caravane vintage
©Caravane vintage
Produit de chez Caravane vintage
©Caravane vintage

Le Chaînon: a social solidarity shop whose profits go to women’s shelters – PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL – 4461, boul. Saint-Laurent

Marché Floh: clothing, accessories and various items – PLATEAU-MONT-ROYAL – 4301, rue Saint-Denis

Produit du marché floh
Produit du marché floh
©Marché Floh

Now you’re ready to bring back useful, practical, eco-responsible and 100% Quebec articles so that your adventure in La Belle Province can live on! It’s time to explore these different neighbourhoods around Saintlo Montréal to discover just how unique and creative our city remains!